Multiple Officers Struggle for 15 Minutes to Tackle Suspected NYC Fare-Dodger

Six undercover police officers struggled for 15 minutes to restrain one alleged fare-dodger caught at the Times Square station in New York City on Friday.

The man refused to hand over identification and told police officers they could not do that to him before he was finally taken into custody, the New York Post reported.

To watch the video of the encounter, please click here.

The outlet continued:

The suspect turned out to have a bench warrant for criminal possession of stolen property and behaved so erratically that cops sent him to Bellevue Hospital for observation.

And in the 15 minutes it took the entire squad to deal with him, The Post watched fare-beater after fare-beater jump the turnstile or walk through the open emergency door at just one entrance in the Times Square station.

The practice of not paying subway and bus fares reportedly cost those who do pay $690 million in 2023, per Metropolitan Transportation Authority data, the Post article noted.

Crime in some of the nation’s big cities is at the forefront of people’s minds, as they worry about using subways or buses, the Associated Press (AP) reported March 7:

At least in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged that calling in the National Guard was as much about soothing fears and making a political statement as it was about making mass transit safer. The city’s subways, the Democrat said, were quite safe already. And felony crime hasn’t risen significantly. But a show of force might help dispel anxieties more than any statistic, she reasoned.

Officials with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) explained that they have been targeting fare-evaders. They added that most of the individuals committing crimes are not paying a fare and are preying on commuters, creating “lawlessness throughout the transit system,” a reporter for Fox 5 said on March 8.

The outlet’s video footage shows multiple people hopping over turnstiles or strolling through the emergency exit doors:

In February, Breitbart News reported a Bronx turnstile jumper — identified as 22-year-old Michael Bellamy, who was armed with a gun, extended magazine, and almost 30 rounds of ammunition — was arrested. However, he was eventually released without bail.